Subject: Description of Bonus.com

From: "Lucy Rector" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 03 Feb 1997 17:47:02 -0800

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DESCRIPTION OF BONUS.COM, THE SUPERSITE FOR KIDS
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How Bonus.com presents your work
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There are numerous existing ways a visitor can get directions on the World
Wide Web. Bonus.com, however, is somewhat different from the many index
services that are found on the Internet today.

In order to help our audience find the best content quickly and easily, we
evaluate and hand-pick each work that we present in the Bonus.com index. In
addition to this index listing, our editors will introduce and entice users
to select each indexed work through a short and colorful reference page
that is hosted on the Bonus.com server. 

The reference page briefly describes and illustrates the work and provides
other vital information such as the subject matter, intended target age
range, type of activity and whether or not any special software is required
for viewing the work.  This, we believe, will increase the satisfaction of
Bonus.com members and visitors because the reality of what is received on their
screens will more closely reflect their expectations.

Visitors can view the work by simply clicking on the title of the work as
it is shown on the reference page. The Bonus.com server automatically requests
the content of the work from the site's web server, and presents the
content to the viewer.

It is important to note that when Bonus.com presents a work requested by a
visitor, it does not use lists of "banned words" to filter previously
evaluated content, nor does it alter or correct text or images. 

All vital elements of the selected work remain virtually unchanged.

Bonus.com wants only safe web sites
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Much like a well-edited magazine aimed at young audiences, Bonus.com intends to
present its visitors only with content previously scrutinized and approved
by its editorial staff.  

In the printed media editors have the opportunity to include or leave out
articles and thus create a unique image for their publication. They only
present that collection of work that serves their audience. 

On the World Wide Web, however, every published work is just a click away. 

The editors at Bonus.com wish to achieve a focus and uniqueness
that reflects a printed publication. They do this by creating a virtual
"contour line" around the content they have selected.  This contour line is
intended to help families and children move easily from one good web site
to another, without the need to browse through many other sites that would
not fit the objectives of Bonus.com.

So, contouring has these important goals:

1)  Creating a rich, interesting and topically organized local area on the
World Wide Web with a high concentration of good, educational and
interesting places that are appropriate for youngsters;

2)  Establishing a boundary (contour) line around the selected works that
helps keeping viewers from accidentally drifting off to places that are not
presented through Bonus.com.

PLEASE NOTE, however, that Bonus.com and the its contouring process will NOT
limit any author's right to free speech or any visitor's freedom to get
access to works left out from the Bonus.com selection. Much like when a reader
puts down one magazine to open another, our visitors may go to any other
site on the World Wide Web, once they exit from the Bonus.com web-site. 

You DO NOT NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO YOUR CURRENT PRESENTATION in order
for your site to be indexed, described and recommended by Bonus.com.  Your site
should simply remain accessible on the World Wide Web.

When Bonus.com visitors request viewing of a web work, the Bonus.com server
requests and enables display of the selected work. While navigation within
the selected boundaries of the work remains smooth and uninhibited, Bonus.com
will make navigation links, pointing to areas outside the selected contours
of the work, inaccessible to its visitors. 

Again, the mission of Bonus.com is to provide a safe, entertaining area on the
Web for children and their families. We hope this description helps you
better understand our intentions. Thank you.